Cleftstar's Prophecy
by whimsicalwarriors2
Summary: SkyClan has only seen twelve moons in the Warrior Clans and is still struggling to survive while their warrior, Cleftfur, struggles under the weight of being a warrior and a mentor. The medicine cat gets a prophecy that will change SkyClan once and for all.


ALLEGIANCES

SKYCLAN

**LEADER**

Leafstar—brown-and-cream she-cat with amber eyes

**DEPUTY**

Sharpclaw—dark ginger tom

**MEDICINE CAT**

Echosong—silver tabby she-cat with green eyes

**APPRENTICE, FRECKLEPAW** (mottled light brown tabby she-cat with spotted legs)

**WARRIORS** (toms and she-cats without kits)

Patchfoot—black-and-white tom

Petalnose—pale gray she-cat

Sagenose—pale gray tom

Sparrowpelt—dark brown tabby tom

Cherrytail—tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat

Waspwhisker—gray-and-white tom

Mintfur—gray tabby she-cat

Shrewtooth—skinny black tom

Ebonyclaw—striking black she-cat

Billystorm—ginger-and-white tom

Harveymoon—white tom

Macgyver—black-and-white tom

Rockshade—black tom

Bouncefire—ginger tom

**APPRENTICE, CLEFTPAW **(brown tabby tom with green eyes)

Tinycloud—small white she-cat

**QUEENS **(she-cats expecting or nursing kits)

Fallowfern—pale brown she-cat (mother to Waspwhisker's kits: Rabbitkit, a brown tom-kit, Creekkit, a gray tabby tom-kit, Nettlekit, a pale brown tom-kit, and Plumkit, a dark gray she-kit)

Clovertail—light brown she-cat with white belly and legs (expecting Patchfoot's kits)

Dawnriver—pretty silver tabby (mother to Rockshade's kits: Whitekit, a white tom-kit, Fernkit, a tortoiseshell-and-white she-kit, and Graykit, a gray-and-white tom-kit with a white patch on his chest)

**ELDERS **(retired warriors and queens)

Lichenfur—gray mottled she-cat

Tangle—ragged tabby tom, former loner

CATS OUTSIDE CLANS

Snooky—black-and-white kittypet tom (former SkyClan cat, Snookthorn)

CHAPTER 1

_Every hair on Cleftpaw's pelt prickled at the scent of the fox. _

"What do we do now?" he asked, sniffing for more of the fox-scent.

"Follow the trail." his mentor, Bouncefire, mewed without hesitating. "It's your warrior assessment, and if you want to show me that you can _really_ be a warrior, you should follow the fox-scent and protect your Clan."

Clovertail had said that SkyClan hadn't existed for that long, and that Cleftpaw had been lucky to be in this Clan.

"How far can you track the fox?" Bouncefire asked promptly.

Cleftpaw hesitated, then answered, "As far as the other side of the river, but it gets really faint then." He stepped forward, noticing his paw slip into a pawprint. The indentation was large and well-shaped, and he saw tiny dots above the toes of the print. _Those must be claws,_ he thought. The prints smelled fresh, not stale, and he smelled a hint of fox and badger at the same time.

"So…." Bouncefire said. "Do you smell anything else?"

"Actually, I smell a bit of badger mingled with the fox-scent. I can tell they haven't been here for at least a moon." Cleftpaw shuffled his paws nervously. He saw his mentor's hackles rise as a white-and-orange shape came into view. Cleftpaw fluffed out his fur and jumped forward at the fox, unsheathing his claws and scratching the mangy creature across the muzzle. The fox whimpered and darted away, too afraid to be threatened any more.

"You sure showed that fox," Bouncefire said with a curt nod. "I am very impressed. I will tell Leafstar. She's sure to make you a warrior today."

Cleftpaw beamed at his mentor's praise. He bounded back to camp with his mentor following.

When they entered camp, his mother, Clovertail, touched her muzzle to his head. "How did you do?" she asked.

"I did great! I scented a fox and Bouncefire told me to attack it, so I did and now I'll earn my warrior name!" Cleftpaw thrust his muzzle into his mother's fur and purred. "I did it! I passed my warrior assessment!"

Cleftpaw saw Bouncefire pad out of Leafstar's den. He nodded and happiness rose in Cleftpaw's chest. Leafstar padded up to the Skyrock to make the announcement.

"All cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather beneath the Skyrock for a Clan meeting." Leafstar's voice echoed across the gorge, making every cat's head turn to hear what she had to say. Cleftpaw followed Clovertail to the area where Petalnose, Ebonyclaw, Bouncefire, and Mintfur were already sitting, then came Sparrowpelt, Cherrytail, and Rockshade, then the rest of the Clan.

"I understand that Cleftpaw has passed his warrior assessment and is ready to become a warrior. We also have three kits who are six moons old and ready to become apprentices." She nodded to Whitekit, Fernkit, and Graykit, Rockshade and Dawnriver's kits. "First we will make Cleftpaw a warrior. Bouncefire, have you trained Cleftpaw well in the ways of a warrior?"

Bouncefire nodded. "Yes. He was a great apprentice, so he will make a great warrior."

"I call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice, for he has trained well and is ready to become a warrior. Cleftpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?" Leafstar stared at him, expressionless.

"Yes." Cleftpaw nodded.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Cleftpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Cleftfur. StarClan honors your courage and loyalty and we welcome you as a full warrior of SkyClan."

The Clan chanted his new name. "Cleftfur! Cleftfur! Cleftfur!"

"And," Leafstar added, "I would like to apprentice these kits. Whitekit, Graykit, and Fernkit, please step forward. Fernkit, from this moment on you will be known as Fernpaw. Cleftfur, you have proved to the Clan that you are a loyal warrior, and I think you should take Fernpaw as your first apprentice."

Graykit and Whitekit got apprenticed to Shrewtooth and Billystorm.

"Graypaw! Fernpaw! Whitepaw!" the Clan chanted happily.

A warrior stepped forward into the path of Cleftfur touching noses with Fernpaw. "Do you really think that the newest warrior should be given an apprentice?" Rockshade was standing there, his black fur bristling.

"I believe he is worthy enough, yes." Leafstar nodded.

Rockshade let out a vicious yowl and leaped forward onto Cleftfur.


End file.
